For the most coherent explanation of the differences, and the perceptions of, the term “open” as applied to open source, open standards, and open government, check out this blog post on GovFresh from Bobby Caudill at Adobe. Bobby’s key point is that while many open source advocates believe that open government must be built with that philosohpy in mind, “Unlike open source and open standards, open government is about far more than technology or access to ‘raw’ data… (W)e need to question the idea that adding the word ‘open’ to something automatically associates it to all others things dubbed ‘open.’ That approach can be quite limiting and short-sighted. Rather, especially with regards to open government, let’s help our government leaders by keeping them focus on the desired outcomes, their intended audience and only then, allow the discussion of which technologies to bring to the party.”